Critical Mass to Produce `Sword of Dracula' Military Horror Game.

Entertainment Editors

Game Developers Conference 2004

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 26, 2004

Game Developer Critical Mass Interactive has acquired the interactive game rights to SWORD OF DRACULA, a military horror project based on the hit Image Comics series by creator Jason Henderson. CMI, which has been a part of major releases like the 2003 "Favorite Video Game" Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award winner "SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman" for PlayStation(R)2 and GameCube, and Henderson plan to have a demo of the commandos-versus-vampires first person shooter game ready for the March 2004 Game Developers Conference in San Jose.

"The moment we saw the SWORD OF DRACULA comic, we knew this was the franchise to jump on," said CMI VP of Development Billy Cain. "We're talking a commando-vampire war in fierce, cinematic, CALL OF DUTY-style gameplay. You could see it from the first issue. We knew we had to make this happen."

In SWORD OF DRACULA, the player is an agent under the command of the increasingly popular comic character Veronica "Ronnie" Van Helsing, who leads a UN-connected and "armed to the teeth" covert operation called the Polidorium. Unlike traditional vampire stories, the creators have patterned SWORD OF DRACULA after games like MEDAL OF HONOR and CALL OF DUTY, where action is wide, relentless and highly technological.

Called "the most unique take on Dracula in over a century" by critics, the Image comic book SWORD OF DRACULA is a contemporary revamp of the Dracula legend. Dracula is portrayed as the world's foremost terrorist, a king on the run with a vampire army and an array of new powers. For the first time anywhere, Dracula here controls blood itself, using the blood of thousands of victims to build weapons, vehicles and strongholds. March's issue of the heavily anime-influenced series features the art of new "American manga" style artist William Belk, taking over for the ultra-realistic Greg Scott.

Since the comic first appeared in October of 2003, critics from the United States and as far away as Malaysia have hailed the series as "the best re-imagining of Dracula yet," "a must-read for action-horror fans," and "one of the best takes on Dracula since Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee... think 'Full Metal Jacket' meets Dracula!"

Creator Henderson says his intent was to defy reader's expectations of one of the most familiar characters in literary history. "You've seen Dracula -- but you've never seen him like this," said Henderson. "Our Dracula is a king, a massive 300-year-old uber-vampire with an army of vampires and zombies, and it'll take every Humvee, cannon and Blackhawk Ronnie has to bring him down. Forget what you know -- if you think vampires are played, you're in for a real ride."

Critical Mass Interactive delivers a wide variety of services, including full game production from concept to completion, concept sketches and storyboards, models for in-game or marketing materials, design documents, motion capture planning and direction, audio production, and more. Visit them on the Web at http://www.criticalmassinteractive.com.

Henderson, a five-time published novelist and senior partner in One Stake Media, which produces custom comics for media and game clients, is a frequent comics and computer game writer. In March 2003 also see the first installment of Henderson's new ghostly horror series SOULCATCHER from Moonstone, about a young widow in New Orleans who can channel the powers of the recently dead, with art by Lou Manna, Terry Pallot and colored by Leslie Barkley. SYLVIA FAUST, another new series by Henderson and DRACULA partner Greg Scott, about a young sorceress on the run in New York City, is slated for release in August from Image. His mech series CLOCKWERX written with animator Tony Salvaggio is due from Humanoids in 2004. Henderson's Web site is http://www.jasonhenderson.com.